Poor vs Wretch - What's the difference?
poor | wretch |
With little or no possessions or money.
:
Of low quality.
:
*, chapter=10
, title= To be pitied.
:
*
*:Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen.
*{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
, chapter=15 Deficient in a specified way.
:
Inadequate, insufficient.
:
*(w) (1600-1666)
*:That I have wronged no man will be a poor plea or apology at the last day.
Free from self-assertion; not proud or arrogant; meek.
*(Bible), (w) v.3
*:Blessed are the poor in spirit.
(with "the") Those who have little or no possessions or money, taken as a group.
An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
*{{quote-book
, year=1742
, author=Henry Fielding
, title=Joseph Andrews
, chapter=12
*{{quote-book
, year=1789
, author=Watkin Tench
, title=The Expedition to Botany Bay
, chapter=14
An unpleasant, annoying person.
*{{quote-book
, year=1740
, author=Samuel Richardson
, title=Pamela
, chapter=71
*{{quote-book
, year=1823
, author=Walter Scott
, title=Saint Ronan's Well
, chapter=32
(archaic) An exile. (rfex)
As nouns the difference between poor and wretch
is that poor is with "the" Those who have little or no possessions or money, taken as a group while wretch is an unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.As an adjective poor
is with little or no possessions or money.poor
English
Adjective
(er)The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.}}
citation, passage=Mr. Campion sighed. βPoor man,β he said. βHe sees his great sacrifices rejected by the gods, and so, no doubt, all the Misses Eumenides let loose again to plague him.β}}
Synonyms
* (little or no possessions) impoverished, wealthless, * (of low quality) inferior * (to be pitied) pitiable, * See also * See alsoAntonyms
* (having little or no possessions) rich * (of low quality) good * (deficient in a specified way) rich * (inadequate) adequateDerived terms
* poor man's * dirt poor * house poor * land poor * piss-poor * poor as a church mouse * poor box * poorhouse * poor power * poor relationNoun
(en-plural noun)- The poor are always with us.
Statistics
*Anagrams
* 1000 English basic words ----wretch
English
Noun
(es)citation, passage=The poor wretch , who lay motionless a long time, just began to recover his senses as a stage-coach came by.}}
citation, passage=The four unhappy wretches labouring under sentence of banishment were freed from their fetters, to rejoin their former society; and three days given as holidays to every convict in the colony.}}
citation, passage=Swear to me but, thou bold wretch ! said she, swear to me, that Pamela Andrews is really and truly thy lawful wife, without sham, without deceit, without double-meaning; and I know what I have to say!}}
citation, passage=I asked that selfish wretch , Winterblossom, to walk down with me to view her distress, and the heartless beast told me he was afraid of infection!}}